1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to food products and methods for preparation of food products, and more particularly to a novel pasta-based food product and a method for preparation thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Foods that are prepared quickly and with a minimum of inconvenience have become increasingly popular. In fact, the demand for ever more convenient and quickly prepared foods is seemingly insatiable. Frozen pre-cooked foods are especially suitable for this demand and, as a result, are becoming more and more plentiful in supermarkets.
Of the conveniently and quickly prepared foods, pizza and pasta in particular have recently experienced a significant growth in popularity. Frozen pizzas have been popular for years. And even though pasta is generally simple to prepare from raw stock, the public's interest in even simpler, less time consuming food preparation has resulted even in more convenient, pre-cooked pastas that require only simple reheating.
A wide variety of pastas have also become popular. Typically pasta dishes are of the Italian variety and comprise a jumble of separate independent pieces of pasta in a sauce, e.g., spaghetti, cavatelli, etc. However, because of the large number of separate and independent pieces of pasta coated in sauce, a serving of pasta can be inconvenient to eat on the run, and usually requires the use of a fork.
Other ethnic varieties of pasta dishes also exist. For example, kugel, while not generally considered a convenience food, is a dish prepared by mixing wide, flat noodles and whole eggs in a ratio such as a pound of dry noodle stock to six or eight eggs, and other ingredients and baking the mixture typically for an hour to an hour and a half. The result is a product in which eggs fill in voids between the pieces of pasta, and thus a generally solid mass of noodles, egg and other ingredients.
Nevertheless, despite the increases in the kinds and availability of convenience foods, consumers desire even further variety. Moreover, in today's health-conscious society, many consumers have a particular interest in foods they consider to be healthy, especially foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol content. Saturated fats and cholesterol have been a particular concern with respect to pizzas, which aside from their toppings, have crusts viewed by many as undesirably high in saturated fats and cholesterol. On the other hand, pastas, certain variations of which can be prepared such that they are low in saturated fats and cholesterol, typically are not as conveniently prepared by consumers as are frozen pizzas, and are not as conveniently eaten, usually requiring the use of a fork and plate. Thus, the consuming public is constantly seeking new varieties of foods, and even new varieties of pizzas and pastas, not only for a variety of tastes, but also for convenience and health reasons.